Day 1: Arrival in Beijing

You'll be awakened from your slumber before arriving in Xi'an (if you prefer not to travel by train, there are several daily flights to Xi'an). We'll make reservations for you in a centrally located, comfortable hotel. You'll be greeted in the arrival hall and taken straight to your hotel. The transfer should take approximately 15 minutes.

The rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish. You may want to have a look around the large boulevards and we would suggest visiting the charming Muslim neighbourhood. The heart of the city is the large Bell Tower in the middle of the traffic intersection. If you climb the tower around 17:00 you'll have a wonderful view of the city, the Muslim neighbourhood and you'll catch a demonstration of Chinese kettle drums.

In the evening you could sit by the Drum Tower and take in the square of skating, chatty and lively youngsters. A taxi cab (or tuk-tuk) can take you back to your hotel for about £2.

On this morning you'll go on a bicycle ride through the area surrounding Lijiang. You'll ride over a flat road with mountains to the right and left of you together with your guide. You'll visit the traditional Naxi village Baisha, where you'll park your bike and visit the legendary herbal practitioner Dr. Ho. He's over 80 years old, however when you enter his home he greets you with warmth, friendliness and a cup of herbal tea. He may even show you some of his newspaper clippings written about him in foreign newspapers. You'll return to Lijiang around noon where you'll say goodbye to your guide and your bike. 

After lunch you can visit the Black Dragon Pool Park (entrance fee 40 Yuan). This park is home to some of the most often photographed areas in China, such as the lake featured in the picture, where the sun shine reflects the temple and tops of the surrounding mountains beautifully. 

This day can be spent however you choose. Your hotel offers a variety of interesting excursions to choose from. On Mondays you can visit the colourful Shaping morning market or you could also visit surrounding villages around the lake or visit the Yi minority in the company of a guide. Naturally you don't have to book an excursion to have a great time; you can also choose to go out on your own. For 10 Yuan you can rent a bike and explore the area surrounding Dali independently. There are also horseback rides through the forests and mountains. There are plenty of options.... and in the evening you can enjoy the nightlife in the walled off part of Dali.

If you decide to book an extra night in Dali, take the chair lift behind the Three Pagodas temple complex into the mountains. There you'll find the start of a beautiful 10km hike along the mountain ridge. The trail is flat and can be hiked by almost anyone. At the end of the trail you'll take a gondola down the mountain. When you get out you can catch a taxi cab.

Today you'll travel by comfortable public transport bus to Kunming within 5 to 6 hours. This will be another ride with hills and mountains surrounding you and through farmland and villages. You'll pass through several long tunnels and then you'll drive into the Kunming outer limits. If you would like to visit the Stone Forest near Kunming, you can spend two nights in the city. During our time here, we found that there were too many tourists visiting the area and therefore we've chosen to continue this south west China itinerary in Guilin.

On arrival in Kunming you'll arrange your own taxi cab to the airport for a 2 hour flight to Guilin. At the end of the day you'll arrive in 'wonderland' and you'll see the karst mountains near Guilin. You'll be greeted by our local representative in the arrival hall and we'll arrange a connecting transfer to the next destination, Yangshuo, which is about two hours away. All in all you'll be travelling for quite some time, however all the travelling will be well worth it!

Today a bike tour and bamboo boat ride are on the agenda. We'll arrange a bike, a boat and an English-speaking guide for you. He will tell you more about life in the area and will bike and sail along with you. You'll travel in a small group today along with other Western travellers.

You'll start off the day with a bike ride along the Yulong River. The scenery here is every bit as beautiful as it is at the Li River and it features a dramatic array of karst mountains on the banks of the river. During your bike ride you'll leave the main roads and peddle over paths along the river, through farmland and rice paddies and you'll have the karst mountains as constant companions during your ride. You'll be able to stop for drinks or snacks in the small villages that you'll pass during your ride. After biking for a while, the bamboo raft will be waiting to take you down the river. You, your guide and other boats will sail through the peaks of the karst mountains. After a few kilometres you'll get back on your bike and peddle towards the 'highlight' of this trek, Moon Hill. You can choose to climb the hill if you wish. In warm temperatures, this could be quite a strenuous climb. However the view from the top will make up for any inconvenience of getting there. Eventually when you return to your hotel you can unwind with a beer or glass of wine on the terrace.

Today you’ll have the entire day to spend as you please; there is plenty to do in this area. You can rent a kayak from the hotel, spend another day on a bicycle to explore the area on your own or you can even take Kung Fu lesson for an hour. We'll gladly give you more options.

There's quite a show to see on and along the Li and Yulong Rivers in the evenings. The name Zhang Yimao may not ring a bell, however he is the most well known movie director in China and was also responsible for directing the opening ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He’s created a show here in the outdoors with a backdrop of mountains and the river that attracts about 1000 visitors each and every night. As with most things in China, this show is a large production. No less than 500 actors and actresses in full dress and make-up perform the Chinese love story by San Jie Lu on the banks of the river and on the river itself. The surrounding mountains are part of a magnificent light show every night during the performance. The show can be viewed daily from 20:00 - 21:00. Tickets are on sale on location from £15. After the show you may want to venture out for some souvenir shopping or have a bite to eat in one of Yangshuo's busy streets.

At around 9:00 you'll be picked up and a transfer will take you north through Guilin to the Longji rice terraces. The village Ping'an is located in the middle of this area and is only accessible by foot. You'll be met at the end of the drive and someone will join you on the 20 minute walk to the village. If you prefer not to carry your suitcase/ backpack during the walk, you can have your baggage carried for 30 Yuan. By lunchtime you'll reach the village of 800 inhabitants.

You'll stay in a basic, well maintained guest house in the village. Electricity and warm water are available in the mornings and evenings. Your room will have its own private bathroom. The guest house has a large veranda where you can enjoy the view of the rice fields and mountains in the crisp clean air. In the afternoon you can walk through the village and visit the Two View Points. Along the way you're sure to encounter the Zhuang. This local minority introduced the terraced irrigation system that is used in this area about 5000 years ago.

The last morning mist between the mountain peaks will disappear before your eyes during your breakfast on the veranda this morning. At around 9:00 you and a guide will head out for a day of hiking through the world's highest altitude, most vast area of rice terraces. This area is called Dragon's Bone or Longji. The hike isn't difficult and is doable for all with an average level of physical fitness. You'll mostly be walking through the rice terraces; however you'll also walk through forest or marshes. You'll see the Zhuang hard at work in their paddy-fields bushing their oxen through the mud. Around lunchtime you'll have a bite to eat in a small town and then you'll continue hiking for another two hours. Then you'll catch a bus back to the end of the road leading to Ping'an where you'll walk back to your guest house in the village with your guide. In the evening you'll be able to enjoy a stunning sunset from the veranda. We considered our stay here as one of the most relaxing moments during our China trip.

Start off the day by enjoying the magical sunrise and the silence of the morning. The shrouds of mist surrounding the mountains will gradually pull away and while you have your breakfast on the veranda you'll see the sun climb into the sky. When time has come to move on you'll take your baggage to the parking lot where a transfer will be waiting to take you to Guilin airport (a 1.5 hour drive).

You'll fly to the city of Canton, which lies near Hong Kong. This flight is much less expensive than flying directly into Hong Kong. A transfer will be waiting to take you to the Guangzhou (Canton) train station. Your train ride to Kowloon will take another 2 hours. 

All good things must come to an end. Today you'll return to the airport ( you can arrange a transfer at your hotel reception for just a few pounds) and catch your flight back to the UK.

Send us an email (info@chinatravelplan.co.uk ) to tell us about your travel preferences.